Two UNM students earn Goldwater Scholarships

The University of New Mexico will add two more students to its ranks of Goldwater Scholarship recipients. Adrienne Garcia and Richard Justice are part of the 2026 class of scholars.

The Goldwater Scholarship, named for senator Barry Goldwater, is celebrating its 40th year in 2026, and is one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships in the country. Goldwater scholars study the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics and intend to pursue research at the graduate level and beyond.

There were 1,485 students from 428 academic institutions who were nominated for the 2026 scholarships and a total of 454 students were awarded scholarships.

Adrienne Garcia is a sophomore at UNM, majoring in chemical engineering with a concentration in bioengineering, while Justice is a junior majoring in biochemistry.

Garcia found out about the scholarship from another student in her program and knew it was something she should apply for.

"I've always known that I wanted to go to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D., so it was a perfect fit for me," she said.

Garcia, who currently works in the King Lab within the chemical and biological enginnering department, was drawn to research initially due to her interest in biomedical science.

"When I got to college, I was exposed to the vast applications and topics of research, this was when I realized that knowledge is a powerful tool and that it can be used to change lives," she said. "This is why I decided to make research my career. Furthermore, I have always been interested in healthcare, specifically women's healthcare. I was exposed to the distressing gap in medical knowledge for women during a Research in Acute Care course on north campus and as a woman that struggles with getting accurate and fast diagnoses, I realized how many women I could help through research."

This summer, Garcia will head to Boston to attend the Massachusetts Institute for Technology's Summer Research Program, MSRP.

"The opportunities and faculty at UNM, especially Dr. King, have supported and challenged me in ways that have allowed me to achieve my biggest goals, and I am extremely proud to go to this university of opportunity," Garcia said. "I thank my family, friends, and the members of the King Lab for inspiring and supporting me always."

For Justice, he loved science from an early age and was drawn to research, but he settled on biochemistry with help from a high school teacher. After finding out about the biochemistry honors program during new student orientation, he began reaching out to principal investigators at labs across campus to find a place to get his first taste of research. He landed in Dr. Amy Gardiner's lab within the UNM Health Sciences Center.

"Currently I'm looking into prenatal alcohol exposure and how that contributes to vascular dysfunction in the brain," he said.

He found out about the Goldwater scholarship from another student who received the award at an internship he did.

"I started looking into it and realized it was a big deal for those who want to get a Ph.D. to pursue research," Justice said. "It's a great recognition that you're someone who has potential to build a career in research. I thought that it would show that I have the experience to go into a Ph.D. program."

Justice said he was always interested in a Ph.D. to take his education as far as it could go and open doors to not only be able to do research, but to research what he was most interested in.

"I found out while I was sitting in my lab, we didn't really have anything going on so I was at my desk going through email," he said. "I had one from Goldwater and I saw it said 'congratulations' and I slammed the phone down. My lab tech asked me what happened and I said, 'I just got the scholarship.' When I picked my phone back up to read the rest of the email I realized I cracked the screen protector."

Jesse Wieland, the director of the Center for Academic Excellence and Leadership Development within the Honors College, is the campus representative for Goldwater and many other prestigious scholarships. Students can reach out to Wieland to learn more about scholarship opportunities.

"I couldn't be more proud of Adrienne and Richard, and all of our applicants from UNM who worked incredibly hard on their materials over many months. Their nominations are a testament to the quality of their academic work, character, and potential as future scholars, and highlights the amazing research opportunities available to undergraduates at UNM."